I want to get a 78-79 F-150 4x4 short bed or a 78-79 Bronco. But which one? As far as muddin with a lift and big tires on both wouldn't the bronco be easier to turn on its side because of the shorter wheel base? I don't know which one to get, can someone help?

 

i think the bronco and the swbtruck have the same wheel base its jsut that the bronco looks shorter because of the top. as far as muddin ive had both and theyve done very well.

 

So I guess it would come down to having more room for people or more room to haul stuff? Also I've heard that the 78-79 broncos are rare?

 

Finding a solid 78-79 Bronco is the only thing rare about them! They were and still are a very popular vehicle. I've still got the 78 my dad bought new, goes great in no matter what you throw at it. Mud, snow, etc. Only real problem is the cancer eating away at the body and now the frame.
As far as a pickup vs Bronco as said a lot comes down to what/and how much you want to haul.

 

I think the shortbed pickup wheelbase is a little longer than the Broncos, but probably not by much. I doubt it would make much of a difference, since they're both wide vehicles and don't always fit down really tight trails as easily as a Jeep or early model Bronco. For me the width seems more critical than the length, within reason. Now my crewcab longbed F350 is a hard one to fit into any tight space...

 

Yeah, i think my SWB has 10 inches on the 78-79 broncos

 

Yeah. I've seen pickup bodies mounted on a Bronco frame. You have to shorten the bed to make it work, but it looks pretty darn good, in my opinion. I've also seen Chevy pickup bodies on a Blazer frame. I'm not sure what the exact difference in length is though. The shorter wheelbase that the Bronco has, seems to have better traction to the rear wheels then a standard short wheelbase truck. I can go places without being in 4wd then some trucks that are. Also you have less sticking out behind the rear wheels. You can have a better angle of departure.

 

A SWB truck like mine is 117" wb and a bronco is 104" They are both pretty hard to find in good to find in good shape. They are both very tough and durable. I would just buy whatever i found to be in better shape.

 

A fullsize Bronco has 104" wheelbase, as 79driver stated. An Explorer 4-door has 107" wheelbase, so the Bronco is very short. That helps the Bronco turning radius and ability to not be high centered as easily. The problem is that it also thus has a short rear driveshaft, so any lift taller than 4" can tend to create u-joint angle issues. I had two lifted Broncos during a 10 year period, I loved them, especially without the top in summer

 

If you are going to tow at all, get the truck and it's bed. If you want passengers or plan on sleeping in the woods, get the Bronco. With screens on the side windows, a Bronco is pretty nice. A toolbox that bolts to the frame through the rear floor makes a very nice and secure place to put your trail tools.

Plus, in a Bronco you can fit a 60" high lift jack down the pass. side of the cabin and keep it clean. Just run a small plate through the wheel well (assuming a 78-79 is built the same there as a mid 80s) and attach it to another bracket coming off the door jamb. I put the base first/behind the pass. seat in case of an accident so the handle assemble does not go flying down the length and hit a passenger in case you forget to lock it.

Broncos will always have a higher resale value.

 

I have gone threw mud holes in 2wd with my bronco cause the weght is very balanced 50/50 between front and back as a is very biased too the front.

 

i have a 79 bronco. great truck and like the others said it will go in two wheel drive where it takes others four. Cancer sucks on them, though i put in a 460 and 3/4 ton axles so i guess it aint how it looks just how it runs

hagen

 

The longer wheelbase of the short box truck is better (i think) in the mud pitts because then you have a better chance of getting out of the holes that tend to get dug, this is why you don't see a lot of shorter wheelbase rigs in competitive mud bogging.

 

mustang is right most of the guys that can even stretch the front axles out some. The short wheel bases are great on trails but in the mud a long wheel base is better. Look at it this way if you had to follow Pro through the pit, and hit a place where he spun a little you would put all 4 of your tires in one of his tire marks with the short wheel base.

 

I think you will be pleased with either choice you make. I don't think it really matters, I have the SWB pickup, now I "need" the Bronco. Just buy one of each